Another Viewpoint on Romans 13 and Church Closures

Folks, after my post on Romans 13, I found one that hits some points that mine did not, so I wanted to share it with my readers.

The issue of Romans 13 and obeying authority has been something that throughout church history Christians have struggled with.

Let me put this into perspective.

When we take a look at the Bible, we see throughout scripture those who disobey unfair and unjust government commands.

Moses disobeyed the Pharaoh as we see in the book of Exodus.

Paul was constantly in jail because he was violating customs and laws that interfered with spreading the gospel. He lost his life because of it.

Peter was told by the authorities to cease teaching and preaching in the name of Jesus. He said to those in authority over him, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20). After being arrested a second time and questioned about his disobedience, Peter declared emphatically, “We must obey God rather than men”(Acts 5:29).

We see it with Gideon, Ehud, Jepthah, Samson, and Deborah – all were charged explicitly by God to resist the rulers who were practicing injustice against the people and interfering with God’s people.

We see it in church history with Martin Luther and John Calvin.

We see it in those who fled oppression throughout the world and came to America.

We saw it in abolitionists such as Harriet Tubman who defied the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 by helping slaves escape from the south and flee to northern states.

We saw it in Corrie ten Boom who hid and protected Jews from NAZI government forces in Germany – and lied to NAZI officers when they came looking for Jews.

We saw it with Martin Luther King, Jr. standing up against the oppression of people simply based upon their skin color.

Go back to the American Revolution. In the American Revolution, Christians were often divided, but we were fighting for our freedom against oppression.

That’s where Patrick Henry said:“Is life so dear or peace and safety so sweet as to be purchased at the price of slavery?”

Were all these examples violations of scripture? No.

Those who say Christians are in violation of scripture if they are opposed to today’s tyrannical government officials telling us not to worship are not considering the entirety of God’s word. They are reacting in fear of man.

“The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted.” (Proverbs 29:25)

When we look at Romans 13, we need to understand that the principle of being in subjection to governing authorities has to be balanced with the rest of scripture. When we see God opposing injustice and resisting oppression and abuses of government authority, is this a contradiction of Romans 13? No, it isn’t.

Dedicated Christian that has experienced many facets of Christendom thru the years. Father of three and husband of but one wife.
William has over 27 years of experience in accounting and bookkeeping. He has worked for both government & private sector entities. His private sector background includes many years working in commercial and residential construction environments. Unlike most folks, this experience includes signing the front of the check, not just the back.
Books that matter:
Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin,
Christian Reconstruction by R.J. Rushdooney,
Days of Vengeance by David Chilton,
Genesis Flood by Whitcomb & Morris,
Evidence that Demands a Verdict by Josh McDowell;
Political: currently, No Party Preference, recovering Republican involved at county and State level, participated in many campaigns and conventions, periodic CRA member since early days of Barbara Alby;
Education: Nuclear Reactor Operator--US Navy, Masters in Business Administration, Bachelor's Degree in Government, Microsoft Certified System's Engineer, CompTIA Network Plus and A Plus certifications, and various post graduate classes.